


Legend of Dinotopia: Who's There? Oneshot #1

by Nicholas98



Category: Dinotopia (TV), Dinotopia - James Gurney
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28764303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicholas98/pseuds/Nicholas98
Summary: Based on The Books and TV Shows by James Gurney. This is based on a written role-play on a French MMORPG website in tribute to Dinotopia.Not my property at all.All characters belong to their owners on The French website, and I am just spreading their work to here and far.Breathe deep and seek peace!





	Legend of Dinotopia: Who's There? Oneshot #1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on The Books and TV Shows by James Gurney. This is based on a written role-play on a French MMORPG website in tribute to Dinotopia.  
> Not my property at all.  
> All characters belong to their owners on The French website, and I am just spreading their work to here and far.  
> Breathe deep and seek peace!

Adam left the bowels of the dark castle. His bow and quiver on his back, a spear in one hand. Suffice to say that he was ready to go hunting and raise his traps at the same time. The weather was right. It was pleasantly sunny and warm. The dry season was still nicer than the rainy one. Thanks to a well digging the cliff for meters and meters, the Outsiders had access to drinking and fresh water all year round. They feared no drought. They feared the wet season hurricanes that devastated their crops much more.

With a determined step, the young man crossed the courtyard of the castle, passing more than one person, whether they were rowdy children, women shopping or men taking care of their artillery. Suddenly someone called out to him. A man had joined him running, asking him to come and take a look at the ramparts. All the Outsiders had enough faith in Adam to come and share their doubts and problems with him. No need to bother the chef when there was Adam around who, despite his young age, seemed adept at making serious decisions. He was a seasoned warrior who everyone trusted. He had always been greatly devoted to the clan despite his origins.

As a result, he took the first stone staircase that came to join a sentry who beckoned to him from his post. The archer in question told him what his lynx eyes had seen in the distance: someone coming. And by the time Adam did not join him, said person had already had time to approach the castle. Or at least from its external speaker. Squinting, Adam realized it was a young woman. Only. He put his hand on the bow the sentry had already wielded just in case. With a quick glance, Adam made sure there were no reptiles in sight. But the guards would have seen him if he had.

\- Shall we notify the chief? The man asked.

\- No need, replied Adam, I will take care of it. Watch the surroundings.

With that, the young man descended from the ramparts. The watchful eye of the guards will allow him to open the doors without risking being surprised by any predator. Once there, Adam then pushed the heavy clapper. At least, enough to be able to pass. No unnecessary effort. It was then that he found himself face to face with the stranger. Unknown ...? It's strange. He didn't know why, but somewhere deep inside, something told him that she wasn't that much. After having looked at him quickly, he spoke:

\- Who are you?

Finally. The Outsiders Castle stood before her, solid and ruthless, as the door seemed to wince for him. Was it really the guards at the top of the ramparts? Was she at stake? Charlotte preferred not to give all these questions a chance to disturb her. She was content to stare at the entrance, silent, convinced that we would end up taking an interest in her. So she waited, straight as an I, one hand encompassing her chain and the other firmly gripping the handle of her slung bag made muddy and stained green. Charlie was painful to see… she bore the scars of the perilous crossing of the rainy swamps with her, but despite everything, unwavering hope made her eyes shine powerfully. She did not yet feel the pain in her legs, her feet. Fatigue does hadn't got the better of her yet. No, it didn't matter to him at the moment. She would finally have the answer to his question.

As if his wishes had been granted, the door opened with a characteristic noise and just enough to let a man through. Face to face, they stared at each other for a moment. The man was not a monster. Admittedly, his look was peculiar and had little to do with that of Corben or Karl, but that did not make him scary, and even ... something in his features gave him confidence ... that sounded like a memory. Her face reminded her of something, especially the shape of her eyes, but she quickly shook the impression from her head. It was simply impossible. The chances of her knowing other people besides her family on this island were probably extremely low ... so she answered his question,

"I'm new here ... my plane crashed ... my family ... I'm looking for my family."

This sentence, she had repeated it dozens of times in her head, during the journey. She was convinced that when the time came, she would decline the reason for his presence with strength and determination. But there were too many emotions in her at that moment to recite her lines like an actress. Her fists were so tight her fingernails pierced her skin and her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure he could hear it pounding against her chest. Around it was as if time had stood still. As if there was some kind of bubble around her that only the man's response could burst. It was the fateful moment.

The young woman in front of him was painful to see. She seemed to come out of countless hardships and that was what Adam could guess she had come perhaps to find shelter here from. Or it was an excruciatingly desperate Dinotopian to dare to show up at the castle. Oddly enough, Adam was sure it wasn't. It was a face, a look, a vague memory. It was a strange sensation that seized him the moment he crossed the eyes of this stranger. Something he couldn't get back into his mind. Something that told her she wasn't Dinotopian. In addition, the young woman was not long in confirming her thoughts when she admitted that she had survived a crash and that

Adam considered her for a moment. In all the time he had lived here, he had never seen anything like this at the castle. The castaways were rare. Even more those who found their way to the castle. But he knew what his clan was made of. Unhappy victims like her who had decided to take a different path than the outstretched hand of the Dinotopians and their scaly companions. The young man then nodded at the words of the stranger. But he didn't say a word. Instead, he turned around to walk back to the gates of the compound. After which, he motioned for the young lady to follow him.

\- It's dangerous to stay there, he finally told her in justification.

Although he already had the answer to the question that tormented the young woman, he much preferred to take shelter of the ramparts to continue to discover who she was and to find a way to silence that familiar feeling that was taking place. was seized of him. It might not have been the most sympathetic approach to her, but given the state she was in, he was willing to bet that she had already suffered more than one danger from this island and that sheltering would certainly not be too much either. Despite her words, she didn't look like someone coming out of a crash. Not recently at least. She didn't look hurt, she wasn't even wet. Everything suggested that more than a day had passed between the said crash and his coming here.

His words had desperate tones. Never had her voice trembled so much. She wanted to stay strong, erect, and keep her thoughts clear, but now that she had achieved her goal, the pressure seemed to ease and her emotions were trying to work their way out. Charlie still managed to contain them, but until when? The man summoned her to follow him. There she was, finally entering the castle grounds. Was it a trap closing in on her? A prison even more concrete than this island itself? She didn't know, and to tell the truth, it was the least of her worries. The one and only thing that interested him was his family. And if the man took the trouble to let her in before even answering his request, it was who knew at least something, no? Maybe he would even lead her to them? Hope was so strong in Charlie that his heart was struggling to keep up.

Behind them, the doors closed and the young woman observed all around her, in search of her pairs. She paid neither attention to the curious glances which scrutinized her, nor to the decoration tinted with gray stones. His hands still hadn't let go of the handle of his shoulder bag, nor his chain. She could feel the blood beading under her fingernails, but it was the only way she could contain herself any longer. Charlie decided to take some more on her. He had to. These people owed her nothing, but she expected a lot from them. So she had to stay strong, at least a little longer. She swallowed, painfully swallowing her questions which, if she gave them a chance, would flood the man who had greeted her. It was hard, unbearable, but she had to put the odds in her favor. She didn't know who these people were and what she had heard about them didn't inspire any good. Yet she felt no hostility towards him. Maybe they weren't that bad after all?

As the young woman entered the castle walls, a good number of eyes fell on her and the sentries could finally lower their guard slightly. Adam didn't go any further though after walking a few yards past the heavy doors that had closed behind him and the stranger. He was not paying attention either to all these faces which observed a while the young lady before resuming their way. Although excruciatingly curious, the Outsiders were quite used to this kind of visit. It wasn't just Dolphinbacks coming their way. Sometimes they were surprised to see Dinotopians who wanted, for one reason or another, to join their cause. Adam was facing the stranger again, who seemed very upset in front of him. She was looking for her family and seemed desperate not to hear from them. Unfortunately, their chance of survival was slim if she hadn't found them among the Dinotopians.

"We have vaguely heard of a crash somewhere to the south," the young man began then.

This way of starting her answer was in a way a way of explaining to the stranger that ... No. No family among them. Since they had only had a brief hearing about the accident. If the latter had occurred closer to home, they would no doubt have dispatched teams to come and help the survivors. Adam remained compassionate though. For generations, the majority of Outsiders now had been born on the island and had not experienced this kind of drama, unlike him.

\- We haven't seen anyone like you these days, he then continued,I'm sorry ... Maybe the Dinotopians, if you haven't been there already.

He had doubts about the matter. Without help, no one could survive on this cursed island. If she seemed to be doing well, surely she had been helped by others than the Outsiders.

Finally, the man stopped, certainly judging that there was no point in going any further. And when he opened his mouth, it was all his hopes that were dashed in an instant. His hope, buried six feet underground, with a big diplodocus resting on it. His fingernails dug a little deeper into his palm, so that the blood was starting to run seriously, staining his jeans pocket in the process, slowly but surely. All Charlie could do was nod his head, swallowing his emotional outbursts which, however, only asked for one thing: to get out. His gaze was on the one who gave him one of the worst news of his life. If they weren't here, where were they then? If they had been on the island, the patrols would have found them eventually, dead or alive. Her eyes filled with tears she couldn't hold back, as she nodded again at the ebony haired man's questioning.

Overwhelmed by a host of negative feelings, her shoulders were shaking with tremors. Still not a word. She was concentrating not to crack. What to do? What was the point of continuing if none of the people who were dear to him were in this world? If she had lost everything, everything she had built, everything that made her life once beautiful, and sweet. Her arrival here had been nothing but misfortune and suddenly she found herself hating the whole world. Rage thus found its place in the depths of his heart, alongside despair and sadness.

That look, that desperation, that sadness, that very hatred that Adam could read in her. He knew them all too well. He had been there too. He had been there when his plane crashed, when he saw his mother being devoured before his eyes, when he realized that he would never go home, that he was doomed to live here until. 'at the end of his days. He had been so grieved that he still wondered how he was still alive? How had he not wanted to end it? His hatred had been so powerful that the Outsiders had no trouble putting him on their side because everyone here was like him: contemptuous of this island and especially of the dinosaurs there. Because, let's face it, if this island had been normal, without dinosaurs, the agreeing to stay there would have been easier. But nothing here was normal. It was an island of madmen who lived with prehistoric monsters.

Adam put a hand on the young woman's shoulder. He had never before had to make contact with an accident survivor. It was his first and he didn't really know what to do. Maybe the chef would be doing it better ... But come to think of it, he was one of the few here who knew exactly how the young lady felt for going through it too. And again, it went back so far now, to another life that seemed like a dream now. And yet, he still could feel the melancholy in him when he thought about it. Everything this girl had lost, she will never forget, it was a certainty.

\- I'm sorry, he repeated nonetheless.

It won't change things, sure, but it was always better than giving the impression of having nothing to do with it. Besides, those who witnessed the scene were thinking like him. They were here from a clan of unhappy people, survivors, castaways, outcasts. And that, even generations of individuals will not make them forget. Adam remained silent for a moment, observing the stranger's despair in front of him, before resuming:

\- My name is Adam, and I know very well how you feel. My plane crashed here ten years ago and I lost everyone I loved and all my chances of ever seeing the rest of the world again.

It was so far back that he really struggled to remember his old life, the technology, the cities, the countries ... But even if he was deeply rooted in the Outsiders now, he would always know that 'he came deep inside him from another very different world.

The hand on her shoulder failed to make her falter for good. She felt like the first day she arrived here, when Corben had found her unconscious on the beach and had rescued her as best she could. When she understood that she was the only survivor, she had gone through all the states. Several days later, she even thought she was going completely crazy. And yet, she had finally come to terms with her new condition. The island had left him no choice. Except maybe on that famous day, she was hoping to find them here or there, to have good news from the patrol teams, or to find them here, among the Outsiders. Today all hope was gone.

Sorry. Everyone was sorry for her. But that didn't change how she felt, obviously. She supposed he knew it perfectly. And what he later confessed to her confirmed many things. He too had arrived on this island in this way. He too had lost his loved ones, his old life. A tear eventually escaped, running down her cheek for just a few seconds, just long enough for her to notice it and immediately wipe it off. She didn't want to crack in front of all these people. Her feelings were on her mind and pity was one of the things she hated to see in people's eyes the most.

Adam. Strangely, that name resonated with her. It was far away, very vague, and she wasn't sure. But this strange feeling that took her by storm briefly put her sorrows on hold.

"Adam?" she said in a whisper, as if saying his name out loud could solve the riddle he represented. And it seemed to work. "Adam ..." his still veiled eyes seemed to search through hers, dark and vivid. His brow furrowed. She was holding something there. But she didn't know what yet.

We never got over it, from so much pain, so much despair. The young man had never understood how the survivors who chose to rebuild their lives among the Dinotopians and these scaly monsters were doing. Well, living in a castle as in the Middle Ages was not the dream conversion either, of course! But at least the Outsiders were looking to stay close to their roots, people from the rest of the world. They were ... simply centuries apart for lack of technology! But unlike the other inhabitants of the island, they didn't care that "being armed is bad!" or "eating meat is not good!" Adam could never forgive the dinosaurs for the death of his mother. Even if it was a fact of carnivores. Carnivorous or not, dinosaurs were all prehistoric monsters that should have remained as fossils for the common good. Their only use for the Outsiders was to provide them with meat and leather.

Adam did not expect to comfort the young woman with a few words. It never worked like that, just like it hadn't worked for him either. Worse still, at the time he was very young and it was not at fifteen that a teenager could easily take well all the misfortunes that happened to him. Suffice to say that these first moments on this island had been very disastrous. Yet when he introduced himself he noticed a surge of energy from the stranger. She repeated her name as if it meant something to her. The gaze of the young woman came to that of the warrior who was something disconcerted by the interest she suddenly took to his identity. And he himself could no longer detach his eyes from his still misty with tears ready to fall.

\- Adam Summers, he ended up filling in as much as he needed to, but that doesn't have much interest here.

In reality, the Outsiders naturally had surnames. It was always useful to distinguish two people with the same first name. But the usefulness of such a name ended there. There weren't any papers, identity cards, or anything really important that we used to put in last names. Especially when we had more family.

And his name put an end to his questions. Adam Summers. How could she have forgotten? His childhood friend who had passed away many years before when they were just kids. She had never had the end of this story. She suspected her parents knew more, but at the time, they had wanted to preserve their daughter by leaving her in the dark. Questions, she had asked them, that yes. But the answers never quenched his curiosity and eventually everything had settled down and Adam had become one memory among many, surfacing with nostalgia every now and then. Charlie stood frozen for a moment, speechless at what she had just achieved.

"Oh my god…" she was shaking, bringing her hand to her mouth. If she had been in any other arrangement, perhaps she would have smiled. Perhaps she would have been happy to find him here. But it was not. She was way too confused for that. And deep down, both of them were stuck here, trapped on this cursed island that had stolen their lives. At this moment and in many ways, death seemed much sweeter. After all, wasn't it better? She had asked herself the question, several times, but hope still held her back, pushed her forward. Today everything was gone. All that remained was a haphazard mix of emotions, a dangerous cocktail ready to explode, or implode.

"I'm Charlotte Nelson ... Charlie."

She never thought she would see Adam again one day. And if she had been told it would be under such circumstances, she would have just taken it for a joke in very bad taste. But now, it was all very real. Her hand on her shoulder was, her eyes she had almost immediately recognized as well. He had changed, changed enormously. But his gaze had remained the same. That's why she had known she could trust him. Why she hadn't been suspicious when he asked her to enter. They were from the same world.

The expression of the young woman had radically changed. Adam, who thought he was able to recognize all possible expressions after a drama, realized that it was unknown to him. The stranger seemed ... surprised and disturbed at the same time. As if something had shaken him again. As if this simple name had a power of annihilation even stronger than that of Dread Reef. But, when you look at it, it wasn't fear that he saw in her eyes. It was something else, but just as powerful. And then, at the words she strangled in her tremors, the young man told himself that this name was not unknown to him?

It was then that the young lady introduced herself in her turn. Suffice to say that Adam's reaction was equal to his. But with a few seconds of difference. When she mentioned himself, he had looked down, trying to remember. This face, this feeling of having seen it before, and then now this name and especially this nickname ... It echoed in his mind like an echo from another dimension. It has been a decade since he heard that name. And finally, when it resurfaced in him, came out of the depths of his memory, the young man froze and his gaze immediately returned to her. He took his hand off her shoulder.

\- It's ... impossible ... he mumbled more to himself than to her.

Yet now that all the pieces of the puzzle were in place, there was no doubt and there was only denial to make him think otherwise. But on closer inspection, it was indeed the same features of his face. Older, yes, but he finally recognized her. He recognized her gaze, although abandoned in despair, and he could finally provide an answer to her question, on why she had seemed familiar to him from the first moments. It was Charlie! This young girl he had known since childhood, over there in Australia. This girl he had to leave to move to New York. This girl he had promised that he would write to her every day if possible so that he would never lose contact with her. A promise he had never been able to keep

\- Charlie ...? He whispered again, as if to convince himself that this was all real, that she wasn't some supernatural apparition from the past to taunt him.

It was the first time in ten years that he had found himself so terrified, so ... unable to say anything, to react accordingly. He, the warrior, had lost all his means in a second.

She hadn't found her family, but she had found a long-lost friend. When he said his nickname, Charlie, the hint of a shaky smile appeared on his face. Strangely, it did her a lot of good to hear in the voice of someone she knew. But it also had the effect of breaking the barrier at the edge of his eyes. She ducked on him instinctively, hiding her face in his shoulder to cry all the tears in her body. If from another point of view, we could have taken it for a happy and emotional reunion, it was quite another for the young woman, at the height of despair.

"It's a nightmare ... tell me it's a nightmare."

Clearly, she was letting go. It was too much, she couldn't hold anything back in her. It was as if he had just opened the safe that was his heart. Sobs that she felt she could never get rid of, Charlie sank, just as the wreckage of his plane had done, taking the corpses of his passengers with him. She could see them very clearly now. His parents, his brothers ... their livid faces reaching the abyss ... There, at the bottom of the ocean, where no more light came through, where all was only death and desolation. This is what she saw.

When she rushed towards him, to let out all the emotions that were fracturing her heart and mind, Adam welcomed her in his arms in his embrace, although he still had a hard time realizing the situation. . It was she. It was Charlie! At that precise moment, many memories he thought he would forget forever surfaced. Memories where the two of them played together under the Australian sun, oblivious to what the future held. He saw the young girl's mother again when she came to pick up her child to go home. So this woman had perished under the waves ...? Why ? Why did it take she undergoes in turn what he himself had undergone? Had fate wanted to be generous in sending him this knowledge on this island for him? Or had he decided to be excruciatingly cruel by condemning them both to lose their lives and end up stranded here forever?

\- It is, replied the man, but very real ...

His hand slipped into the curly hair of the young lady. This wavy hair had not changed from his memories. There was something new about this scene to the other people who were present. No one yet could boast of seeing their best warrior let himself be overcome by his emotions and be so affectionate with a newcomer. Although they understood the situation well for the more attentive. Adam remained stunned deep within him, to see the mysteries of the world cause that by the most improbable of chance, he and Charlie find themselves when he thought that she could stay safe on the continent to live. a happy life.

\- Never ... I never thought we would see each other again.

Yes, it was all a nightmare. She would never have thought of experiencing such a drama. She had never imagined her life without her family. It was something that had never crossed his mind, even for a moment. It had fallen on him without warning, in a way so abominable it was completely beyond his comprehension. A real cataclysm, that's what it was. Chaos reigned deep inside her and darkness was gaining ground again. No one, not even her, could have suspected that Charlie could ever pass away. She who shone so brightly, who with a smile, illuminated a room, enchanted her world.

"Me neither."

Which made things even more terrible and relapsed her sobs at the same time. Of course, they had found each other, but at what cost? In what world? This reunion was aberrant, terrifying, heavy. The brunette felt exhausted and her voice was no more than a whisper. How had he been able to last all this time in this place, having lost everything like her? It seemed insurmountable.  
Long minutes spent sobbing passed before her tears dried up. She would not have thought that possible, moreover, she was so unhappy at the bottom of the bucket. But unlike the mind, the body at its limits and its limits were affected on many points. Finally, she pulled back, wiping her face with the back of her hand, leaving some traces of the blood that had trickled down her wrist. The scene was terribly evocative of the drama she was experiencing. His heart was bruised, as if torn from within. It was terribly painful. She could hardly find a normal breath. Charlie didn't know what to do, what to say. The only thing she wanted to do was hide in a corner to mope.

At the same time, who could have foreseen this? A plane crash was, of course, predictable, but we tended to believe that it only happened to others. The most unpredictable was to have stranded on the strangest island in the world and find there someone you thought was lost forever. It is ten years since Adam had probably been reported as dead among the others missing at sea without anyone being able to have proof of it because the plane or the bodies had never been found. Neither will those Charlie had lost. But now she would end up like everyone else: considered dead somewhere in the ocean. One more victim that we will not find and who will end up forgetting the rest of the world.

Charlie finally broke away from Adam who let her do it but had not taken his eyes off him. He glanced around briefly, feeling the weight of the stares on them. But deep down, he didn't really care. All her thoughts were with Charlie right now. From this specter emerged from the abyssal nothingness of her past which found herself condemned to bear the same burden as him. The young man did not utter a word. He remained helpless, but no less understanding of what she was feeling. He would have liked her never to undergo such a test and he hoped at least that she had not seen any member of her family being eaten alive by the predators of this island. Suddenly his attention redoubled when he saw something red on her. Some blood. He tilted. His hand then gripped the one the young lady had used to dry her cheeks, to see for himself where the blood he had seen was coming from. It was difficult for him to say how this wound had been made, but his gaze lifted again to the helpless face of the young woman.

\- Are you hurt?

He hadn't even thought of asking this question before. Although she didn't look physically bad, it wasn't always easy to define at first glance. And he hadn't had the instinct to ask her before, especially after the shock of discovering his identity. Slipping his arm over his shoulders, he invited the young woman to come with him, approaching her to the entrance to the huge building which was in the center of the courtyard: the castle.

Injured? Yes, she was. Deep inside her. When Adam grabbed his hand to see his injuries, Charlie let himself go, mortified. She wiped her hand on her grubby bag. It didn't matter anymore. She could well lose her, her hand. What's the point of continuing, anyway?

"It's nothing." she just said.

Because yes, after all, these few wounds on her palm were nothing compared to what was happening inside her. The young woman really cared little for her health. She could have died on the spot, that wouldn't have changed the facts. Here they were alone. Lost forever in a world beyond comprehension. It all made him feel impossible. It was a bit like those starry evenings she spent with her father, scanning the sky lying next to each other, discussing what was happening above them. From these distances so great that they were totally unimaginable for a man. Of these stars so large that next to them, their beautiful planet was barely visible. This is now what she felt. A great void under her feet, around her,  
Charlie let himself be carried away by Adam who had wrapped his arm around his frail shoulders. This contact further encrapped the young woman in this sad reality. They entered the castle without taking her eyes off the ground, lost in the meanders of her morbid thoughts, devastated. Their footsteps echoed on the cold, hard floor of the building without at any time paying attention to what was going on around her.

It was probably nothing, indeed. But what else could Adam do now but worry about her? She had suddenly become something precious to him. Yes, she was. For she was his only knowledge of the Outside World now and he cursed this island for bringing her here. In the bowels of the castle, lit by windows or torches, the young man led the young woman through the mazes of dark stones without worrying about the people he passed and who were giving him questioning looks. Finally passing a wooden door leading to a small, odd-smelling room, he finally made the young woman sit there on a bench.

This room was a bit like an apothecary. It was basically the place where remedies of all kinds and for all ailments were stored. Even though Charlie assured her she had nothing, it didn't matter. Adam still wanted to take care of her, if only for her to know that she was no longer alone on this wretched piece of land. She was no longer alone to face the world and life. In addition, Adam had made sure to close the door behind him, just to keep the curiosity of others away from the young woman. Against the wall, he placed his spear, his bow and his quiver. It was definitely not today that he would go dinosaur hunting.

He searched the shelves there. He was far from being a doctor and was not unhappy that the latter was not there, but he knew a few things anyway. It was the basis of even knowing how to differentiate a disinfectant to treat a wound. Everyone should be able to do it. So he quickly grabbed a small vial to soak a handkerchief with the product. After which, he returned to face Charlie, who remained upset as ever. Kneeling in front of her, he took her bloody hand again to press the handkerchief in his palm before looking up at her, lacking in comforting words.

Docile, she let herself be guided by Adam to this room, to this bench where she painfully took her place. She only wanted to curl up. Besides, his back was arched and his head tilted forward. We could see that she was at the end of her strength, but especially at the end of what she was able to endure. The sound of tinting bottles against each other didn't make Charlie look up, nor even the presence of Adam kneeling before her. He grabbed her hand, running a damp cloth over his wounds. She could feel his gaze on her mop, partially hiding her face like a curtain hiding a scene at the end of a play. But this piece was not a pretty sight and did not deserve any applause.

Would she be able to heal one day? Would the gaping wound on his soul eventually fill up? Nothing was less certain. And for now, it was unthinkable. She felt so bad ... it was impossible. Impossible to heal from such a wound, from such loss. His eyes could not find anything or catch, they were only bathed in space, thus expressing this immense feeling of emptiness. Without her controlling it, her tongue loosened, while her face was still dark.

"I love them so much ... I would have preferred to die in their place ..."

He had the impression of seeing himself again, several years ago. Wymer, the old man he considered his adoptive father here, had had a hard time getting him out of this mess. To make him understand that he had to move forward in spite of everything. Maybe if Adam had kept his mother with him, he would have accepted her life better here. After all, it wasn't like he had become very attached to others on the continent. There had been Charlie of course, but even her, he was about to leave her when he moved out. It was not said that he would have seen him again once in New York. He had never been able to blame his stepfather and he thought that everything could have started all over again in this town. Finally, it was here that he was able to rebuild his life. But at what cost ?

\- You would have suffered less,he replied, but they would have suffered from your absence in your place ... The truth is, no one should have died.

Neither her own family nor his own family. Not even all those who had died since the beginning of time in this infernal storm. However, he suspected that Charlie would probably have experienced her crash if she had had hers by her side. But there, in addition to losing her freedom and her world, she also had to face the loss of those who could have possibly remained by her side to support her. She had had an immense chance to get out of it, but Adam knew very well that it was a chance that she rejected. We thought that kind of luck was unfair. We tended to say to ourselves "why me and not the others?"

\- I was not the only survivor when this happened to me, continued the young man, my mother had made it with me. We thought we could face it all together. He looked down at the young lady's hand, removing the handkerchief and making sure it was no longer bleeding, while resuming: - We had barely landed on this island that we were chased by these monsters who live. And to save me, she sacrificed her life under their fangs, so that I could flee. At that moment too, he had told himself that it was not for her to die in his place. Why had she done it? He would no doubt have wanted to take her place as well and allow her to survive. She hadn't deserved such an end.

Adam was right, of course. The loss of Charlie to members of his family would have been a tragedy. But four of them would have supported each other, they would have done everything to preserve this unity, this love, and they would have succeeded in overcoming this ordeal. Together, they could have moved forward, hand in hand, retaining the most beautiful memories of their child, of their sister. For her part, she was alone in front of these four corpses floating in her mind. Charlie felt helpless. Was she strong enough to continue living with it? Nothing was less certain.

Adam's account of his arrival on the island seemed to come straight out of a horror movie. If it was already difficult for her to conceive of the loss of her family without even seeing their lifeless bodies, she could not imagine for a moment what effect it would have had on her to see them being devoured before her eyes. It must have been excruciating. Especially since his mother had sacrificed herself for him, for his life. And he, how had he found the strength to lead this life, offered at the cost of this terrible sacrifice? Had he thought, like her, that he would never succeed? Had he said to himself, too, that he would have preferred to die in her place? Surely yes.  
And yet, despite everything he had been through, all this pain, this pain, this rage also surely, he was there, very much alive. In front of her, to support her. Ben lifted his head, gazing into hers again as if she could see the whole scene described there. She remained like that, silent and gloomy, for long minutes that seemed like hours. Adam was doing the best he could to keep his head above water and somehow he had succeeded. At least partially. Because even though continuing to live like this seemed meaningless to her, she was considering trying. At least she had to try. For them, in their memory, if only to bring their memory to life.

But the story of Adam brought out something else in her. A possibility, tiny certainly, but existing. This other island he had been told about. The one that, he had been told, was infested with bloodthirsty carnivores. The one that left no chance for his survivors. If they had failed there, there was almost no way they would have survived. She had understood it well, landing there was like signing her death warrant. Charlie had no illusions, she no longer believed it. But maybe at least she would find their bodies there. Her mind was clouded and the young woman found it hard to think, but that was all she had to hold on, for now.

"There is this island, the Outer Island ..."

When someone died, someone was always missing. All we could do when we had lost everything was hold on, if only to honor those who were gone. If Adam had stood firm after the death of his mother, apart from the fact that the Outsiders had supported him, it was because he did not intend to waste the life that this woman had allowed him to keep. Afterwards, he hadn't told Charlie that to pity him, far from it. After ten years, the young man had learned to live with it. But it was probably the least thing to tell him a little bit about how he had lived his first moments here. And that she could see in spite of all that he had become. He didn't compare himself to her. She was perhaps less strong than him to face this kind of ordeal and probably had more reasons than he to want to return to his world. Him, after the loss of his mother, he had said to himself that nothing held him back elsewhere than here. A life full of danger, certainly, but it was in danger and adventure that he realized that he felt most alive. With a man who was truly a father to him and who had nothing to do with the thick bully that was in Australia. realized that he felt most alive. With a man who was truly a father to him and who had nothing to do with the thick bully that was in Australia. realized that he felt most alive. With a man who was truly a father to him and who had nothing to do with the thick bully that was in Australia.

Charlie was silent and Adam preferred to add nothing more. It wasn't a few words that would wipe out the pain that haunted her, he knew that only too well. It was only time. Only time can work in its favor. Without making him forget his grief, he can at least make him accept the truth. Seeing that the wound was no longer bleeding, he definitively withdrew the handkerchief which had reddened from the young woman's blood. It was only then, when the wound was clearly visible by the absence of blood, that he realized that it had the shape of several small crescents lined up next to each other. And you didn't have to be a genius to know what had caused this. It was then that Charlie spoke again, so suddenly that Adam was amazed. And then, she mentioned the neighboring island, Outer Island. Although it was another island, although much smaller, it was part of the world of Dinotopia. But the Outsiders had never been there because they knew there was nothing there. Nothing but carnivores and a town of morons who thought it would be good to live among monsters.

\- Do you know the Outer Island?

Adam released her hand from its embrace, discovering along with her the four explicitly shaped wounds that had embedded themselves there. His gaze slid slowly over this one. She wasn't in pain, she didn't really feel much anymore. An empty envelope, that's what it felt like. Even that tingling on her skin felt far away, as if it wasn't really her own.

"Yes."

Charlie probably knew too much for his own good, by the way. In just a few days, she had learned a lot. The young woman had asked the right questions to the right people. She had also inquired on her side. Granted, his knowledge of the nature of this world was superficial, but that was enough. Enough to risk his life, not enough to keep it. Which was now in the detail.  
She said no more, did not explain the bottom of her thoughts to Adam. First, she probably wouldn't have been able to put her ideas in order to present them, then it was useless. He was far from being stupid, never had been. He knew what was going on under his curly mop. Who better than he could understand her? Beyond the fact that he had known young Charlie, he had been there too. Often times, desperate circumstances went hand in hand with acts of the same ilk.

Adam observed the young woman in front of him for a long time. Also, he ends up getting up. No doubt he could guess what was going on in her head, although he didn't feel like he could afford to know her like he used to. They had both grown up and he was no longer that child she had known once, just like her since the crash was probably no longer that girl of old. Adam wouldn't pretend to know how to decipher the workings of his mind. He then asked him:

\- Why are you talking about it?

She wanted to go there? To do what ? It was probably not there that she would find hers. The island was small, and if they had not been devoured by the carnivores that inhabited it, they would have been repatriated to the big island by the Dinotopians a long time ago. The Outer Island was just a patch of jungle-covered land with a poor little hamlet lurking in one corner. In any case, even getting there was not easy because it was necessary to cross the sea which separated it from the big island. The Outsiders did not have boats. And usually, the Dinotopians would go there on Skybax flight.

\- If you know this island, the man continued, you know there is nothing there.

"I know."

Yes, she knew there was nothing there. If she found anything on this island, it would only be death. His own, or that of his peers. It had already been made clear to her, and what she had read about it only confirmed it. Plus, Adam's reaction left no doubt as to what he thought about it all. But still, she had to get there. There was nothing more to do. It was his only perspective, his only goal. Sordid, but existing. So she would go.

It was silly in many ways, but Charlie didn't see it that way. She had done everything to find her family, but it was wasted effort. If they were still alive somewhere, it could only be here. Alas, that had not been the case. No one had found them, and she trusted the dinotopians enough to know that on their side, they had used all their means for it. So now she could only hope to find their bodies. It was the least of things ... for them, and for her. Maybe that would help him. Perhaps...

She knew. She knew but she didn't say another word. Nothing that could guide Adam on his intentions, or what was going through his thoughts right now. The latter then contented himself with looking at her, as if the answers would appear to him that way. But he saw there only a desperate young girl sitting on a bench. Maybe that was the answer in the end.

\- So why ? he asked.

If it meant dying, even for that there were easier ways to do it. Whatever the young man greatly hoped this was not what Charlie was looking for. He was determined to keep her alive as long as possible. To think that they had just reunited, he had no intention of letting bad luck keep them apart again. Even if that was what she wanted. So their reunion here meant nothing to her? Adam suspected that she wasn't having a clear mind right now because of what she was overcoming and hoped that she would pass over time. But there was nothing for her there on the Outer Island. Nothing but death, and he wanted to avoid it if possible. He hadn't been able to do anything for his mother, but for her there was still hope.

"Maybe ... if they're there .... to see them one last time ... bury them."

Those two words, she had turned and returned in her head.  
But once said, they became even truer. And that triggered a new fit of crying. Tears began to accumulate dangerously on the edges of her eyelids, then began to flow like a torrent down her cheeks, until they crashed to the ground. Stifling a strong sob, she buried her face in her hands and rocked forward, to curl up on herself.

Nothing existed around her anymore. Charlie was closing in on herself, letting herself be carried away by her emotions. She felt like she was drowning, sinking into the dark depths of her soul. Nooks that she had never explored and that worried her.

These emotions, she would have liked to contain them. It was a way of protecting herself, she hated feeling vulnerable. But this was too much for her. She imploded. If neither this island nor the Outer Island came to the end of her, then she would die of grief. At that moment, it was a certainty.

Adam swallowed at the young woman's response. Was it a good idea to want to see the dead again? Finally, their remains? Grief was probably the best thing to do, but just seeing Charlie's condition he didn't even want to imagine what it would be like if she saw her whole family, livid, drowned, on a rock. sandbank. What's more, we didn't bury the dead on this island. Dinotopia was not large enough to house cemeteries. The bodies were usually burned and the ashes kept, either by relatives who wanted it, or in a funeral building. People are also free to want to let them fly somewhere.

\- This ... This is not a good idea, replied the man,I mean ... The dead don't come back to the island, they're ... well, washed away.

And for the small percentage likely to regain the shore, in other words that they were quickly eaten by the local scavengers. But the majority of cases ended up at the bottom of the ocean, right in the middle of Dread Reef, or possibly nearby. But a dead body was sinking too fast to float to the beach. Against Charlie's sobs, Adam sat down on the bench next to him. She had to come to terms with the truth, that she would never see her own, not even their remains, and in a way, if she could do without a horror sight, it wouldn't be worse. As much as she keeps the best memories she had of them, and not the worst and the last. Slipping his arm over his shoulders, the Outsider hugged the weeping young woman against him, in a last ditch effort to console her. Or at least be with her.

Her sobs finally came to an end, even though it seemed impossible. But since she had set foot on this island, everything that once seemed impossible, improbable, was no longer. Her entire dead family, except her, was something unimaginable a short time ago. The same was true for the very nature of this mysterious island, preserved from the rest of the world, and its mysterious laws. And the dinosaurs, with that. Yes, here anything was possible, especially the most dreadful.  
So, no, that was not a good idea. Obviously not, but that was the only thing that came to mind. The only sane thing she could do now.

She looked up at Adam, showing him a face quite red with salty tears and marked by the intense pain she was enduring.

"Are you sure?"

By that she meant, really sure. If there was even a tiny chance that she could find the remains of her own, then she had to go. No matter what, no matter the odds, the reason, nothing was ever one hundred percent certain. He would never get this idea out of his head. She would think about it night and day, to make herself sick. She was like that Charlie, she had always been like that. Bold, obsessive limit. And when it affected his family, it was all the more true.

"I would go." she said simply.

It was a final point. She wouldn't budge, no matter what Adam said. Regardless of his arguments, his doubts, his own fears. Charlotte would go. She made the promise.

The young woman's gaze met again that of Adam who had lowered his eyes to her, feeling that she was slowly recovering from her sobs. Or rather, that she would recover once the river of tears completely dried up, until the next time, once he had refueled. With a gesture, both sure and gentle, the young man eclipsed from cheek to cheek the wet streams that had traced Charlie's grieved face.

\- Sure ? he repeated, in ten years, things have not changed. I've been there too.

He had gone through all these emotions that flooded the young woman, all the worst emotions in the world. Sadness, anger, despair, all in such a horrible mix that it hadn't been given a name. Sadness, despair ... It was even too weak in his eyes as terms.

\- Charlie ... Those who did not survive are undoubtedly dragged down to the bottom ... And even if there was a slight chance that the current would carry them here ... In other words, during the day even, they end up ... devoured.

The carnivores of this island had no mercy. Worse still if the bodies were stranded on the Outer Island where these monsters were having a blast. In such a small space, in other words, they did not waste time in front of the slightest carcass. So, when the young lady assured that she would go anyway, Adam sighed.

\- It's too dangerous. You could die at the first step there. All for nothing.

Yes, he really felt like seeing each other ten years ago. Not for wanting to go to the Outer Island at all costs, but for many things, especially at his age at the time. Making him understand the real dangers of this island, when he had seen them, it had not been a piece of pleasure for anyone.

She let Adam wipe the tears from his cheeks. A tender and compassionate gesture that slightly erased his pain for a moment. Even if the salty liquid had finished flowing, at the edge of his eyes still remained the relics of the latter, ready to reappear at the slightest let go.

"I should have died a long time ago."

She had whispered that to herself. Yes, all Corben should have found on the beach that day was an inert body. It would have saved him a lot of suffering. She also should have died in the swamps, before Xyria ran into her. But the fate seemed to be on her.

Adam was right, of course. But reason was not the order of the day. The feelings had taken over, as it often did with Charlie. Fortunately, for the time being, she was not able to go anywhere. So it was postponing her plans, so maybe she would have found some semblance of sanity. But with her, nothing was taken for granted.

"I know someone…" she sniffled, still shaken by those now tearless sobs, "… I would just have to fly over the area."

Karl had told her that he could put her in touch with this famous person. But she wouldn't just fly over the beaches, as she had just said. She would also go to the village to ask its inhabitants directly if they had taken in anyone, alive or not. Again, she had no illusions, but her decision was made.

"I would go, Adam. I would go." she repeated as if to convince herself that it was the only thing to do.

That too, he had already said the same thing. Curious as people could be as alike in the worst situations. Having the same thoughts and the same absences of reason. Adam felt himself stiffen slightly at the other words of the young woman. Did she know someone with a skybax? Tremendous ... These damned Dinotopians were going to cause his downfall! It was because of this option besides that Charlie was convinced to be able to achieve it. Adam stared ahead of him for a moment, his gaze vague, thoughtful.

\- And after ? he asked after a moment of silence.

Let us admit that it flies over the island - even if he still knew it well enough to say to himself that it could have the imprudence to land there -, and that it finds nothing there - because clearly, it will not find what she is looking for-, what was she planning to do? Did she intend to wander endlessly on the island like a lost soul while waiting for death to come and take her? To think that she already had some acquaintances with the Dinotopians, if that happens, she could very well go and live with them ... This memory returned to him from the past was in danger of being taken from him as quickly as it had returned. With a sigh, the young man took his arm away from the young girl's shoulders, joining his hands between them in front of him, who was still in thought.

\- I don't want you to go,

It's true he didn't approve of the fact that Charlie was stuck here, and that she lost everything. Nevertheless, for ten years, he had said to himself that he would never see anyone in his old life again and it suddenly appeared like a miracle.

The silence did not last long. Only the one needed for Adam to find the words to clearly state his point of view.

"After?"

Charlie didn't foresee any "after". After, after, what? There was nothing for her here. No perspective that could hold her back, in this life, in this world of which she was a prisoner. It was all bad luck since she had taken that plane. She closed her eyes, suddenly remembering the scene before the crash. The look of her parents, that intense fear that she would never forget. And their hands, all joined. The masks that fell, too late. This terrible fear was his last memory of them. An eternal memory that did not fail to haunt her every night. How to live in these conditions? Consider the future?

She opened her eyes to examine Adam. What he says hits him like a hammer. She remembered their old friendship. She remembered Jason as well, whom she had made promises to. Of all those people who had taken care of her too ... Could she really turn her back on them now?  
Charlie stood up, painfully straightening his bent back for too long, then hugged Adam again. It was all chaos inside her. But somewhere, deep in it all, behind all his sorrows, a tiny shine was born. She wasn't aware of it, but that's what pushed her into the young man's arms. Because despite her disastrous plans, she didn't want to leave him either.

There was no answer on the question of the future. No doubt Charlie had no idea. She was trying to set bogus goals knowing full well the outcome just to know what to do with her life. Adam knew himself well. What to do with a life that no longer seemed to have meaning? That is the question. And, unfortunately, it was only Charlie who could find an answer. Adam could only direct him as best he could. So it was not long before he revealed to her the bottom of his thoughts, telling her that he did not want to be separated from her so quickly. That he didn't want to see this fragment of the past disappear, this little stranded pearl, as if she had been a specter who had returned for a few seconds just to haunt him.

In front of the young woman's embrace, the Outsider gladly returned it. It was already much better when there was no one around to observe the scene. Although he wouldn't care if it had, but hey. He took advantage of this embrace to immerse himself in the mind that it was Charlie, that she was indeed there, this young girl he had known in the past, from all the blows they had been. capable of inventing at the time, of their texts to secretly complain about the laws of grown-ups, the nonsense that they had been able to use to make fun of their teachers, or even the plans for the future that they were done in total unconsciousness. VS'

\- I know you are in pain , he began without letting go, I know what you have lost. I would never approve of all that fate has done to you ... But ... Does our reunion mean nothing to you ...?

Since her arrival on the island, the drama and all the horrors that followed one after the other without giving her the slightest respite, it was the one and only time that she really felt understood. Of course, Jason had been through the same thing as her, pretty much. The two had found each other well, finally, and they had more or less implicitly agreed to put aside the unfortunate subjects. The idea was to make the most of the moment for what it was, nothing more.

But with Adam it was different. Deeper. They had a past in common and although the time had passed, they knew each other. His compassion ringed true in his ears. The impact of his words was stronger. She tightens her embrace.

"Of course yes."

No "but" followed. There was nothing to add. What was the point of telling her it was stronger than her? He probably wouldn't accept it. She wasn't sure of anything herself. Charlie didn't know if his determination would last long ... if it would last long at all. Why fight? Why fight when life is reaching out to you again? She didn't know what to think anymore. What to say or what to do. Everything would have been easier if they had never found each other. If she had perished on the beach.  
The point is, they had found each other. That in all this chaos he appeared like a light. A flickering light, veiled by a sinister shadow, but present. Once again, she felt like she was going crazy. All his ideas mingled, colliding without succeeding in finding a common sense, a point on which they agreed. What she did know, however, was that Adam was there against her. Beautiful and alive.

In fact, Adam had never doubted Charlie. He had never doubted that he too was surely a miracle from the past. The young woman could never have suspected that during all this time, he was not dead but stuck on an island infested with dinosaurs. The miracle was common to the two young men, although the circumstances for it to exist were dire. Well, didn't they say there was always a price to pay, especially for miracles? However, hearing it from Charlie's mouth was a great comfort anyway. A confirmation that he knew deep down but wanted to hear anyway, all in an embrace he never thought he would ever do again. He almost felt like he was finding a member of his family. While this does was just a childhood friend he should have forgotten in New York. But she came from her world and her past, it meant a lot to him. In those few moments against her, he was no longer the Outsider warrior known to the whole castle, but Adam Summers, the Australian again. After a while, he reluctantly released her, but it was the better to look at her, keeping his hands on her shoulders nevertheless, he said to her:

\- You know, with everything that happened to you ... Your mind is troubled.

It was nothing to say. He could see very clearly that she was not thinking clearly. Under the influence of emotion, anyone could make bad decisions and make choices without tail or head.

\- Stay here a little, rest, you'll be safe there. I'll tell Alderic about you, he'll agree, you can count on that! And maybe after ... you might have thought about it ...

In his voice, the young man was insistent, but above all convinced of his words. He would defend Charlie with his boss and in any case, the latter had no reason to deny asylum to a survivor. The Outsiders were there for that too, to help the Dolphinbacks and, secondarily, to prevent them from being brainwashed by other Saurian worshipers. But more than anything, Adam wanted Charlie to stay with him as long as possible. He wanted to watch over her, he didn't want to lose her anymore. Never again. Not now that they had found each other. It would be so unfair.

Troubled yes, that was the least we can say. If there was nothing physically glorious about it, between his swollen eyes, his messy hair and strewn with other things through his clothes stained with dirt and blood, as much to say that his mental state was at least pitiful. Adam could see clearly in the brunette's eyes: she was exhausted. All his decisions were thus distorted. She was unable to reason correctly, although in normal times most of her ideas were not necessarily reasonable.

She nodded when he offered to stay. Anyway, admitting that she wanted to leave this place to go back and roam the swamps and that Adam let her do it, she had nowhere to go and it certainly wasn't like that. 'she could hope to take three steps outside without collapsing. It was barely if she had the strength to stand up.

She had no idea who this Alderic he was talking about was, but she trusted Adam completely. Tomorrow, she would surely have forgotten his name, so she did not try to remember it or ask a question. As far as she was concerned, she depended only on her friend and his good will. For the moment, the rest did not exist. Charlie would therefore drag himself where he was led, like a specter, empty of his energy, without any will. A real zombie who, without his guide, without support, would have ended up wandering and then wasting away.

"Okay."

That's all she managed to articulate. Charlie had her eyes half closed, ready to leave reality as soon as she had the chance. His body was also taking the hit. The more time passed, the more painful his feet became. Her calf, although Xyria did what was necessary to heal her and speed up healing, also ached. As if around the scar in the making, a bruise was brewing. Nothing serious if you considered the context and all the times she had escaped death. But she was exhausted.

Charlie ends up agreeing to stay. Adam was relieved. Although, on the other hand, he knew that the young woman ultimately didn't have many other options. She was too downcast, too weak to hope to go where she wanted. If Adam decided to abandon her right now, she would probably remain slumped on the bench like a lifeless body. Aware of her weakness, and after nodding to her attention, the young man got up from the bench before leaning towards her to take her in his arms and lift her off the ground. Despite his slender build, Adam was strong and for him, Charlie was a featherweight despite his heart heavy with sorrow.

He left the room, to climb the first stairs open to him, crossing mazes of corridors, passing more than one door and passing more than one person. Finally, he stopped in front of one of them to open it and enter his room. Finally, it was more like a small apartment than a simple bedroom, with a bathroom corner away from a room with two beds, a chest of drawers, a table and a few chairs. For the moment, Adam shared this room with Wymer, but he will tell him a word about the latter's new occupation. The castle was large and it was easy to find another place to sleep.

It was not as luxurious as among the Dinotopians. No sheet per se, nor solar rock to light up. Instead, there was nevertheless a fireplace. Adam then approached one of the beds before placing the young woman there. Before retrieving the latter's backpack that he put on the ground.

\- Are you hungry, or thirsty perhaps? he asked then.

Adam carried her in his arms, as he would have done for a child, and with equal ease. Her head was resting against him, her eyes closed, hoping to dampen the flow of her thoughts. Yes, clearly, if Adam hadn't been there to take care of her, the young woman would have just let herself be wasted, wandering around until she found some end. Was this a gift from fate? It all sounded ironic in the end. Everything that was dear to her was taken away from her, while giving her enough in return to keep her alive, to be sure that she was in pain again and again.

The bed he put her on was modest, as was the rest of the room. Nothing to do with what she had seen when Sany had taken him in, for example. But it was enough for her and to tell the truth, she felt much more of his help here. It looked more like him. She turned on her side, preferring a fetal position so as not to strain her numb muscles and aching limbs. It was also a way of protecting herself from the rest of the world, of recreating a kind of cocoon where perhaps she would have the chance to fall asleep and with luck, to calm down a little. Now she realized the harshness of her journey from the Temple, and the impact that had had on her back that night outside on a simple mattress of leaves.

She did not look around either. All she wanted now was to close her eyes and not think of anything. Nonetheless, she gave Adam one last look, using her last strength to answer him. Even though her last meal had been more than meager and her stomach had only turned with an apple and a little water for about twenty-four hours, she was neither hungry nor thirsty. It even disgusted her, just thinking about it. In her, everything was tied tight.

"No thanks."

After those last words, that last breath, Charlie died. Fatigue had got the better of her.

Adam didn't really like Charlie going without food and water, but he couldn't force her to swallow anything either. She certainly didn't have the heart, nor the stomach, let alone the strength. However, he still made a pitcher of water for her on the small nightstand beside her. Obviously, Charlie had already had time to fall asleep in the meantime. So the young man also prepared a basket of fruit for her on the table in case hunger woke her up, or she just felt like it. You might as well be considerate. With all of this done, the Outsider finally decided to leave the room.

He hastened to find Wymer to explain the unavailability of their room until further notice. It wouldn't be great if Charlie got caught by a gruff, armed old man. Wymer wasn't mean for a penny, but despite his age, he still retained a formidable build that would be likely to frighten those who were not used to it! In addition to his desire to want to meet this young lady from the sea as quickly as possible, the man was not offended by the initiative of his young protégé and opted to spend the next night under the stars. In the middle of the dry season, the nights were most pleasant.

Subsequently, Adam also went to say two words to his boss about Charlie's arrival at the castle, although the latter had already heard of this fact from the rumors that were circulating through those who had witnessed the arrival of the young. woman at the estate. There, everything was more or less arranged, everyone had been more or less warned. Knowing that Charlie wouldn't wake up for a while and that he still had the day ahead of him, Adam decided to go back to pick up his guns downstairs to go hunting again. He didn't know how soon Charlie would emerge again, but he knew he had time not to abandon his clan. What's more, the young man in turn wanted to be a little alone to sort out his thoughts and emotions at the moment.


End file.
